A double-blinded randomized controlled trial of laparoendoscopic single-site access versus conventional 3-port appendectomy.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to perform a multicentered prospective double-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing laparoendoscopic single-site access (LESS) versus conventional three-port laparoscopic appendectomy (TPLA).

Background: The clinical benefits and disadvantages of LESS appendectomy are uncertain.

Methods: Between October 2009 and March 2011, consecutive patients admitted with clinical or radiological evidence of appendicitis were randomly assigned to receive either LESS or TPLA.

BBH-LS: an algorithm for computing positional homologs using sequence and gene context similarity.

Background: Identifying corresponding genes (orthologs) in different species is an important step in genome-wide comparative analysis. In particular, one-to-one correspondences between genes in different species greatly simplify certain problems such as transfer of function annotation and genome rearrangement studies. Positional homologs are the direct descendants of a single ancestral gene in the most recent common ancestor and by definition form one-to-one correspondence.

A surface plasmon resonance spectrometer using a super-period metal nanohole array.

We investigate the surface plasmon resonance in super-period nanohole arrays and demonstrate a surface plasmon resonance spectrometer using a super-period metal nanohole array device. Super-period nanohole arrays are patterned metal nanohole array gratings. In a super-period nanohole array, there is a small subwavelength nanohole period that supports local surface plasmon resonance, and also a large grating period that diffracts surface plasmon radiations to non-zeroth order diffractions.

Effect of hydrogen bond interaction on protein phase transition.

We derive the grand partition function of protein chain by restricting dihedral angles to exist only in five distinct states and assume that the dominant noncovalent potential is the hydrogen bond interaction. We investigate the phase transition of protein secondary structures and the order of the transition through analyzing its heat capacity. Our theory demonstrates the presence of α-β-coil structural phase transition in the protein polyalanine.

Employing functional interactions for characterisation and detection of sparse complexes from yeast PPI networks.

Unlabelled: Over the last few years, several computational techniques have been devised to recover protein complexes from the protein interaction (PPI) networks of organisms. These techniques model 'dense' subnetworks within PPI networks as complexes. However, our comprehensive evaluations revealed that these techniques fail to reconstruct many 'gold standard' complexes that are 'sparse' in the networks (only 71 recovered out of 123 known yeast complexes embedded in a network of 9704 interactions among 1622 proteins).

Immunogenicity and safety of recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) in individuals aged 2-45 y: Phase II randomized controlled trial in Singapore.

This was a multicenter, blinded, Phase II study (NCT00880893) conducted in Singapore. The primary objectives were to evaluate the safety of a tetravalent dengue vaccine (TDV) comprising four recombinant, live, attenuated viruses (CYD-TDV) and the dengue virus serotype-specific antibody responses before and 28 d after each vaccination. Participants were randomized 3:1 to receive three doses of CYD-TDV or a control vaccine at 0, 6 and 12 mo.

Tutorial on de novo peptide sequencing using MS/MS mass spectrometry.

This paper is a self-contained introductory tutorial on the problem in proteomics known as peptide sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry. This tutorial deals specifically with de novo sequencing methods (as opposed to database search methods). We first give an introduction to peptide sequencing, its importance and history and some background on proteins.

Assessing cancer cell migration and metastatic growth in vivo in the chick embryo using fluorescence intravital imaging.

Cell migration and metastasis are key features of aggressive tumors. These processes can be difficult to study, as they often occur deep within the body of a cancer patient or an experimental animal. In vitro assays are able to model some aspects of these processes, and a number of assays have been developed to assess cancer cell motility, migration, and invasion.

The mechanism of antiparallel β-sheet formation based on conditioned self-avoiding walk.

By introducing an additional hydrogen bond to hydrogen bond interaction in the force field of the CSAW (Conditioned Self-Avoiding Walk) model, we investigate into the mechanism of antiparallel β-sheet formation based on the folding of a short polyalanine in gas phase. Through our numerical simulation, we detect the possible presence of a transient helix during β-sheet formation, whose presence is shown to have slowed the formation of β-sheets by an order of magnitude. While we observe the mechanisms of nucleation, zipping and induction that drives the formation of a β-sheet, we uncover a new mechanism that involves transient β-turns and short β-sheets during the formation of long β-sheets.

Polyarthritis in four patients with chikungunya arthritis.

The incidence of chikungunya infection in Singapore has been on the rise since the first reported case in 2006. Acute polyarthritis, a common manifestation among affected patients, may precede fever and present with debilitating arthritis to rheumatologists, orthopaedists, internists and primary care physicians. The diagnosis of chikungunya infection requires careful history taking and a high index of suspicion, with supporting evidence from the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or the chikungunya IgM serology test.

Improving adherence to safe prescription guidelines for Dapsone: harnessing an enhanced electronic medical records system and a team approach.

Background: Dapsone is a commonly prescribed medication in dermatological practice. Its use is associated with a broad spectrum of adverse effects. Careful selection and monitoring of patients on dapsone are paramount in the prevention and early recognition of adverse effects.

Analysis of the relationships among Longest Common Subsequences, Shortest Common Supersequences and patterns and its application on pattern discovery in biological sequences.

For a set of multiple sequences, their patterns, Longest Common Subsequences (LCS) and Shortest Common Supersequences (SCS) represent different aspects of these sequences' profile. Revealing the relationship between the patterns and LCS/SCS might provide us with a deeper view of the patterns. In this paper, we have showed that patterns LCS and SCS were closely related to each other.

Imaging the impact of chemically inducible proteins on cellular dynamics in vivo.

The analysis of dynamic events in the tumor microenvironment during cancer progression is limited by the complexity of current in vivo imaging models. This is coupled with an inability to rapidly modulate and visualize protein activity in real time and to understand the consequence of these perturbations in vivo. We developed an intravital imaging approach that allows the rapid induction and subsequent depletion of target protein levels within human cancer xenografts while assessing the impact on cell behavior and morphology in real time.

Ultrasound measurements on acromio-humeral distance and supraspinatus tendon thickness: test-retest reliability and correlations with shoulder rotational strengths.

Objectives: To establish the test-retest reliability of ultrasound measurements on acromio-humeral distance (AHD) and supraspinatus tendon thickness; and to explore their relationships with shoulder rotational strengths.

Design: Test-retest observational study.

Methods: Thirty-seven individuals (age: 21.

Surface plasmon resonance in superperiodic metal nanoslits.

A superperiodic metal nanoslits device is a surface plasmon resonance optical diffraction grating in which each line of the grating consists of an array of finite number metal nanoslits. The metal nanoslits, upon optical excitations, support localized surface plasmon resonance. The superperiod of the nanoslits causes the coherent radiation of the surface plasmon resonance into the far field with angular dispersion.

A metabolomic study of low estimated GFR in non-proteinuric type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims/hypothesis: We carried out a urinary metabolomic study to gain insight into low estimated GFR (eGFR) in patients with non-proteinuric type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Patients were identified as being non-proteinuric using multiple urinalyses. Cases (n = 44) with low eGFR and controls (n = 46) had eGFR values <60 and ≥60 ml min(-1) 1.

Validation of flow cytometric detection of platelet microparticles and liposomes by atomic force microscopy.

Background: Platelet microparticles (PMPs) are a promising prognostic marker for thrombotic disorders because of their release during platelet activation. The use of flow cytometry for the enumeration of PMPs in plasma has generated controversy due to their size, which is below the stated detection limits of conventional flow cytometry instruments. The potential impact of this is an underestimation of PMP counts.

Engineering T cells specific for a dominant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus CD8 T cell epitope.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious and life threatening disease, with a fatality rate of almost 10%. The etiologic agent is a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), with animal reservoirs found in bats and other wild animals and thus the possibility of reemergence. In this study, we first investigated at 6 years postinfection whether SARS-specific memory T cells persist in SARS-recovered individuals, demonstrating that these subjects still possess polyfunctional SARS-specific memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

The interaction between caveolin-1 and Rho-GTPases promotes metastasis by controlling the expression of alpha5-integrin and the activation of Src, Ras and Erk.

Proteins containing a caveolin-binding domain (CBD), such as the Rho-GTPases, can interact with caveolin-1 (Cav1) through its caveolin scaffold domain. Rho-GTPases are important regulators of p130(Cas), which is crucial for both normal cell migration and Src kinase-mediated metastasis of cancer cells. However, although Rho-GTPases (particularly RhoC) and Cav1 have been linked to cancer progression and metastasis, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

Evaluation of nanoparticle uptake in tumors in real time using intravital imaging.

Current technologies for tumor imaging, such as ultrasound, MRI, PET and CT, are unable to yield high-resolution images for the assessment of nanoparticle uptake in tumors at the microscopic level(1,2,3,) highlighting the utility of a suitable xenograft model in which to perform detailed uptake analyses. Here, we use high-resolution intravital imaging to evaluate nanoparticle uptake in human tumor xenografts in a modified, shell-less chicken embryo model. The chicken embryo model is particularly well-suited for these in vivo analyses because it supports the growth of human tumors, is relatively inexpensive and does not require anesthetization or surgery 4,5.

B cells promote insulin resistance through modulation of T cells and production of pathogenic IgG antibodies.

Chronic inflammation characterized by T cell and macrophage infiltration of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a hallmark of obesity-associated insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Here we show a fundamental pathogenic role for B cells in the development of these metabolic abnormalities. B cells accumulate in VAT in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice, and DIO mice lacking B cells are protected from disease despite weight gain.

An integrated genomic approach to the assessment and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Traditionally, new scientific advances have been applied quickly to the leukemias based on the ease with which relatively pure samples of malignant cells can be obtained. Currently, our arsenal of approaches used to characterize an individual's acute myeloid leukemia (AML) combines hematopathologic evaluation, flow cytometry, cytogenetic analysis, and molecular studies focused on a few key genes. The advent of high-throughput methods capable of full-genome evaluation presents new options for a revolutionary change in the way we diagnose, characterize, and treat AML.

Exon-array profiling unlocks clinically and biologically relevant gene signatures from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour samples.

Background: Degradation and chemical modification of RNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples hamper their use in expression profiling studies. This study aimed to show that useful information can be obtained by Exon-array profiling archival FFPE tumour samples.

Methods: Nineteen cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 9 adenocarcinoma (AC) FFPE samples (10-16-year-old) were profiled using Affymetrix Exon arrays.

Chromosome 17 alterations identify good-risk and poor-risk tumors independently of clinical factors in medulloblastoma.

Current risk stratification schemas for medulloblastoma, based on combinations of clinical variables and histotype, fail to accurately identify particularly good- and poor-risk tumors. Attempts have been made to improve discriminatory power by combining clinical variables with cytogenetic data. We report here a pooled analysis of all previous reports of chromosomal copy number related to survival data in medulloblastoma.

Low-level Taekwondo practitioners have better somatosensory organisation in standing balance than sedentary people.

Sports training, especially for those requiring fast and skilled movements have been reported to improve one's postural control, but the underlying sensory integration mechanism is unknown. The purpose is to explore the sensory organisation strategies for maintaining standing balance in Taekwondo practitioners, and to examine the quasi-static and dynamic balance performance in subjects with and without TKD training. Case-control study was used as a study design.